Archive - Jan 26, 2009

• UN says dozens killed in Sri Lanka fighting
• Bolivian voters approve constitutional referendum
• Obama tackles energy
• Critics say Obama violating ethics rules
• UNITE HERE backs bill to make it easier for workers to join unions
• Lawyers get access to Peltier after beating

• Gaza-Israel Update
• Indigenous Protest Mining Efforts in Colombia
• US Refines Ag Workers Survey
• Feingold to Propose Constitutional Ammend – Senate Apointments
• Tampa Sweeps Homeless Ahead of Superbowl?
• 45K Jobs Lost
• Vaccine Autism Link?

Dozens of civilians have been killed in fighting between the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tigers – that's according to the UN's top official in Sri Lanka. The country's army says it's fighting the Tamil Tigers in their remaining jungle bases after taking the last key rebel town of Mullaitivu on Sunday. FSRN's Ponniah Manikavasagam reports.

Voters in Bolivia have approved a new constitution which seeks to reverse hundreds of years of discrimination through land redistribution and guarantees a number of seats in the legislature for indigenous people. Although beleaguered President Evo Morales and the social movement that backs him can now celebrate this victory, the referendum results also expose the deep polarization between the western part of Bolivia, and the eastern part, where European decedents overwhelmingly voted to reject the new constitution. Leny Olivera and Aldo Orellana have the story.

President Barack Obama continues to sweep through a series of new initiatives- and today, his focus is on energy. Obama reversed Bush Administration policies that restricted states from moving forward on clean air standards; he also removed barriers that protected car companies from increasing their fuel efficiency standards.  Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell has more.

Watchdog groups are accusing President Obama of violating his own ethics rules: his pick for deputy defense secretary is a former lobbyist. Meanwhile, Obama's ethics rules on the stimulus package may have the unintended consequence of making some lobbying even less transparent. Tanya Snyder reports from Washington.

Republican lawmakers are slowing down the confirmation of Hilda Solis to head the Department of Labor over her position on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). During her confirmation hearing earlier this month, Solis dodged questions regarding EFCA, legislation that big business is opposed to. Groups like The Center for Union Facts, which is backed by corporations, say that the bill would eliminate employee's right to a secret ballot – although EFCA would mean that workers could join a union by simply signing a card. These groups have recently taken out full-page ads in papers like the L.A. Times and the Wall Street Journal – one of them places a picture of General President of UNITE HERE Bruce Raynor, along with Idi Amin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Aura Bogado spoke with Raynor, who says big business opposes EFCA to preserve low wages.